Are you one of those people who have a ton of things to do, yet not sure what to get started on first? Are all tasks of equal importance, so nothing gets completed? If you’ve experienced any of this, then you’re in good company—because so have I.

Often times I’ll sit down with the intention of reading and answering emails when suddenly I realize, an email has swept me away to a thread on Facebook. From there, I’m engaged and reading about something totally unrelated, like this very cool new socket plug thing they have now. Anyway—before I know it, I have a newly emailed receipt in my inbox for a new belly dance bracelet. Wait…wasn’t I trying to get my emails down? I’ve just created a new email for myself, wasted time, AND spent money I probably didn’t need to.

I do a few things to help me get focused. For instance, I’ll generally use the bathroom, grab a glass of water and put it by my computer, turn off the iPhone, exit chat on all social media platforms, play catch with my dog for a few minutes (this helps both of us), and spend a minute or two centering what I need to do.

How It’s Done

Once all of my little quirky things are out of the way, I’ll then take everything off my desk except for the item(s) I’m working on. When I need to balance the monthly statements, I’ll take only ONE statement out at a time—everything else I try to keep out of eyesight. Along with the item I’m working on, I’ll have the things I need to complete that task. A pencil, and my ruler in front of me—oh—and my glass of water of course.

You better believe that statement gets balanced with a quickness when my distractions are kept at a minimum. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you’ve done a little preparation before sitting down. It helps both mentally and physically. Guess how?? It’s easier to FOCUS people!

A couple of other things that may be helpful—eliminate the loud noises. If you know your garbage company collects trash on Wednesdays, then you probably don’t want to write your new business plan that day. Instead, go outside if you can, to new scenery and enjoy the sounds of nature. In addition, some people concentrate better while music is playing in the background.

Create the tone and mood that works best for you.

Me—I like it quiet. The quieter, the better. Shhhhh….

All these are great tips and techniques for helping you get (and stay) focused in order to get your task completed in a timely manner.

Go ahead, play a little before you sit down, get all those wiggles out, (as I use to say to my kids when they were little). Grab something to sip on, and lead the way.

Jen Chester

Jen handles the bills and payments here at OnWired, a web design and marketing firm near Durham, North Carolina.

Jen recently graduated with a degree in Business Technology from Wake Tech and earned her CNA certification in the same month! How she fits all of this between her husband, two children, a dog, a cat, and volunteer work, we’ll never know.